Cutting Off&nbsp; Military Assistance to Malaysia IsCounterproductive

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin
Mohamad recently delivered an anti-Jewish, anti-Western speech to
the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in
Malaysia. Afterward, President George W. Bush correctly described
the speech as reprehensible, and many world leaders joined in the
chorus condemning Mahathir's remarks.

The
U.S. Congress, however, went too far in its efforts to punish
Mahathir by passing an amendment to cut off military aid to
Malaysia. Congress could have protested Mahathir's remarks, without
harming U.S.-Malaysian relations, by passing a congressional
resolution condemning Mahathir's speech. To contain the long-term
damage to U.S.-Malaysian relations, the U.S. Department of State
should inform Members of Congress of Malaysia's tolerance of
religious freedom and its importance to American national security
interests as soon as possible.

A Disgraceful
SpeechWithout question, Mahathir's October 16 speech in front of
the OIC contained some of the most outrageous arguments yet from a
man infamous for his inflammatory remarks. The allegation that the
Jews control the world and that Israel and the Jews are the enemy
of 1.3 billion downtrodden Muslims is inexcusable. Furthermore,
Mahathir cast the West and Jews as the enemy of Muslims and said
that Muslims need "guns and rockets, bombs and warplanes, tanks and
warships for our defense."

This
speech can easily be interpreted as a call to arms against the West
and Jews. As Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rightly points out,
Mahathir's speech will play into the hands of terrorists and
extremists in the region. Afterward, Mahathir not only did not
apologize for his words, but instead declared that the
international protests of his speech were "proof" that the Jews
control the world.

Mahathir's speech was a disgraceful
exhibition for the leader of a country that, despite Mahathir's
oratory excesses, has been a model friend to the U.S. on security
matters in Southeast Asia. The McConnell amendment in the 2004
Foreign Operations Appropriations bill cuts off military assistance
for Malaysia, although it does allow aid to continue if the
Secretary of State reports to Congress that Malaysia "supports and
promotes religious freedoms, including tolerance for people of the
Jewish faith."

Malaysia and
Religious ToleranceThe amendment is a curious requirement for a country proud
of its diversity. The Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of
religion, and Malaysians of all faiths practice their religions
almost without restriction. Islam is the official state religion,
encompassing approximately 60 percent of the population, but other
faiths in Malaysia include Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity,
among others. According to the State Department's report on
religious freedom, religious minorities practice their religions
freely. In many ways, Malaysia is a moderate, progressive, and
secular Muslim state.

Judging Malaysian tolerance for people of
the Jewish faith is more difficult because Malaysia has no
discernible Jewish community. The only significant Jewish community
in the British colonial Federation of Malaya was in Singapore. When
Singapore became independent in 1965, the small Jewish group
remained in Singapore. Since the colonial era, most Jews residing
in Malaysia are expatriate business people and educators.
Nevertheless, Malaysians have demonstrated tolerance for different
faiths and beliefs. Furthermore, a review of independent Malaysian
Web sites shows that many Malaysians recognize the hypocrisy of
Mahathir's words and the inaccuracy of his accusations about the
Jews.

Undermining the
War on Terrorism The McConnell amendment is also counterproductive to the
war on terrorism. Malaysia has been a valuable U.S. ally in
Southeast Asia. Each year, it hosts 15-20 visits by U.S. Navy ships
and permits more than 1,000 U.S. military overflights, and since
September 11, the Malaysian police have arrested 70 members of
Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda. Kuala
Lumpur plays a key role in regional efforts to combat terrorism
including joint operations with Thailand, the Philippines, and
Australia. Malaysia also has strong law enforcement and
intelligence cooperation against terrorism and is host to a
regional counterterrorism training center.

Moreover, Prime Minister Mahathir has
already retired, and the McConnell amendment will thus punish
Malaysia's new leader. On October 31, Mahathir resigned and
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assumed the office of prime minister,
inheriting a crisis in U.S.-Malaysian military cooperation that may
consume his first few weeks in office and sour the U.S.-Malaysian
post-Mahathir relationship.

ConclusionIt is Congress's prerogative to address international
injustices, but restricting military assistance to Malaysia based
on the racist remarks of a retiring prime minister is both
counterintuitive and counterproductive to the U.S.-Malaysian
relationship and the war on terrorism. To some degree, the
U.S.-Malaysian relationship has already been injured by former
Prime Minister Mahathir's outrageous remarks and the congressional
reaction.

Before the congressional sanctions are
sent to the President, and to prevent any further damage to the
U.S.-Malaysian relationship, the State Department should assure
Members of Congress that Malaysia does support and promote
religious freedom and that Malaysia is important to American
national security interests in the region.

Dana R. Dillon is
Senior Policy Analyst for Southeast Asia in the Asian Studies
Center at The Heritage Foundation.

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) says it's "a great way to start the day for any conservative who wants to get America back on track."

Sign up to start your free subscription today!

Sorry! Your form had errors:

About The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is the nation’s most broadly supported public policy research institute, with hundreds of thousands of individual, foundation and corporate donors. Heritage, founded in February 1973, has a staff of 275 and an annual expense budget of $82.4 million.

Our mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Read More